Childline launches ‘Teenline’ service

Childline Gibraltar has launched a specific helpline number for teenagers after over a third of their calls were related to mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

The new service, called Teenline, was created in response to feedback from young people who expressed a need for a helpline specifically tailored to their age group.

Research conducted by the Youth Service as part of their five-year strategy found that many young people no longer felt they identified as children and felt they had ‘outgrown’ Childline.

At the same time, mental health concerns have been the top issue raised by young people to Childline for the past four years.

On Monday evening, Childline CEO Caroline Carter launched the new service at the Plater Youth Club which is dedicated to supporting and empowering teenagers in the local community.

Mrs Carter said young people have expressed the desire to have somewhere to turn to in a time of need.

“As a charity, we have set up this new line dedicated to young people so that every young person can get support when they need it, for whatever they need it for, for free, any time, any day,” she told attendees.

“We found that this was particularly poignant because at Childline, on our helpline, we found that mental health has been the top issue that young people and children have been talking to us about for the last four years in a row.”

Mrs Carter said this has driven Childline to change their service model to offer high-quality counselling support for young people through Teenline

“Whether it's to do with periods or acne or sexual health or bullying or family problems, whatever the issue might be, there's someone every single day here to support them,” she said.

Mrs Carter added that the charity has developed their relationship with the GHA.

Over the past year, Childline’s Helpline team have been training in the new helpline model which includes new counselling tools and strategies.

“We have developed our knowledge on how to build a relationship and how to understand the situation of a young person over a Helpline,” Mrs Carter said.

“This needs extra skills as it is much more difficult than in a face-to-face situation.”

“We have also introduced new training in how to identify the needs of young people once we understand the situation better.”

“This includes identifying immediate and non immediate concerns, understanding whether the young person wants support with changing their situation, wants to talk, is feeling stuck in their emotional problems, is in an emotional crisis or needs safeguarding input.”

Mrs Carter added that, once this is understood, the charity is then able to support them effectively.

“This allows us to offer a personalised support for each young person no matter what they contact us about,” she said.

Next year, the charity will be undertaking further skills training in their Teenline counselling model and issue-based training based on the reasons young people discuss on the helpline.

Ms Carter thanked the Youth Service, particularly Rebecca Figueras, the Peter J Isola Foundation, and all Childline’s volunteers, trustees and members.

Supporting Teenline were Sarah Douglas, Aaron Brier, and Dylan Parker, who also spoke at the launch about the service.

Miss Douglas said that the stigma of voicing opinions does not make a person weak but, rather, stronger.

“I think it makes you stronger for being able to actually process your emotions,” she said.

The Minister for Culture, Christian Santos, said to call Childline an asset to Gibraltar would be an understatement as he opened the new Teenline.

“Childline's volunteers are fully trained and follow a three-step counselling model that engages the young person, identifies their needs and tailors their response to their specific issues,” he said.

“Although it saddens me that young people need Childline and now Teenline, I am forever grateful for what Childline offers and achieves.”

“Because of Caroline, the trustees and everyone in the team, young people always have someone to talk to and genuinely care about their well-being and will do anything it takes to ensure their protection, safeguarding and happiness.”

He added that Teenline has been a collaboration with the Gibraltar Youth Service.

“For the past year, I've been working very closely with the Gibraltar Youth Service, especially Senior Youth Worker Rebecca Figueras, to prepare a national youth strategy,” Mr Santos said.

“She has gone out to all organisations and young people and identified where the gaps that the young people feel are. One of them was a helpline for teenagers.”

“We were covered with Childline, that is officially for any child or anyone up to 19. There's no age limit, really, but it's for younger people.”

“But the name Childline might have been something that puts people off.”

“So, Rebecca brought this to the attention of Childline, who took this on, and we see the birth of Teenline today.”

“I'm proud that one of these initiatives could trigger what I believe to be one of Gibraltar's potentially most valuable tools, as Childline already is.”

The launch was also attended by the launch was also attended by Minister for Education, Dr John Cortes and the Minister for Trade, Industry and Finance, Nigel Feetham, along with the Mayor, Carmen Gomez.

The charity has 13 part-time staff members and 68 volunteers, with two volunteers manning the helpline every evening, which is open every day of the year.

Teenline is available from 5pm to 9pm daily on 8009 or on WhatsApp 58009513.